Country Lead & Supply Chain Senior Manager

ABOUT VILLAGEREACH

VillageReach transforms health care delivery to reach everyone, so that each person has the health care needed to thrive. We develop solutions that improve equity and access to primary health care**.** This includes making sure products are available when and where they are needed and primary health care services are delivered to the most under-reached. Radical collaboration with governments, the private sector and other partners strengthen our ability to scale and sustain these solutions. Our work increases access to quality health care for more than 58 million people in Africa. VillageReach in incorporated in Washington State and has offices in Seattle (USA), Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and Mozambique.

DESCRIPTION

Summary

VillageReach has been working with the Côte d’Ivoire government to improve health since 2017 through different innovative solutions, including mVaccin (an electronic immunization registry and reminder application built by Orange), VaccineCheck (a chatbot for health information and adverse-effect reporting on vaccines), and the Vaccinodrome and outreach model for improving COVID-19 uptake. The team has been small, no more than 4 full time employees, and has mostly been digital health and vaccine uptake focused but seeks to grow the team and presence in Côte d’Ivoire and expand the portfolio to include supply chain and other related areas, which are core to VillageReach’s Products to People and Pathways to Primary Health Care portfolio. Côte d’Ivoire is seen as a potential core country for VillageReach but would need to be grown. The Country Lead and Supply Chain Specialist – Côte d’Ivoire would be responsible for growing the portfolio. The Country Lead and Supply Chain Specialist is responsible for the overall programmatic and administrative aspects of VillageReach’s activities in Côte d’Ivoire, as well as being responsible for investigating, setting, and implementing the business development plan and overall strategy for the country. The position serves as the primary representative of VillageReach to the Côte d’Ivoire government and its in-country partners, and to VillageReach’s Seattle, USA headquarters. The position reports to the Director, Global Programs, and manages all country staff employed in Côte d’Ivoire.

Description

Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

• Country Strategic Leadership: (25%)

  • Oversee the implementation of VillageReach’s programs in Côte d’Ivoire including the creation and monitoring of work plans, budgets, and evaluations
    • Monitor FY23 program implementation in line with the FY23 country strategy and plans and refine program strategies and plans accordingly
    • Guide the in-country strategy and planning process for the FY24-26 organizational strategy inputs
    • Assess and co-develop, with the Director, Global Programs, the Cote d’Ivoire FY24 country strategy and plan
  • Represent VillageReach as the central focal point for external meetings with Ministry of Health, donors, and stakeholders in country as needed or appoint person on his/her/theirs behalf
  • Ensure Cote d’Ivoire program design and execution are aligned with the organization’s global strategy

• Country Administrative Leadership (15%):

  • Monitor security in-country and coordinate with Vice President, Global Operations (and Director, Global Programs) to ensure staff safety and well-being
  • Support administrative activities in country as needed, possibly including acquiring materials for NGO registration renewal, acting as a signatory or focal point for in-country banking, and other compliance requirements, laws, and policies in the country
  • Act as the administrative line manager for other in-country staff, conducting quarterly check-ins, but soliciting feedback from the technical GTT and other staff working directly with the in-country staff
  • Work with in-country staff to raise any human resource or other concerns to the Director, Global Programs to fill staffing needs and maintain an office environment that encourages learning and growth

• Business Development: (30%)

  • Within two months of being hired or no later than the end of March 2023, complete an opportunity assessment for Cote d’Ivoire to identify opportunities for VillageReach to add value to the Cote d’Ivoire health landscape; based on the results develop recommendations for opportunities, partnerships, and donors; and develop and execute a business development plan and key performance indicators/targets for the total amount of funding to be secured in Cote d’Ivoire by the end of FY23
  • Work with teams in country to provide the first draft budgets for any proposals, for review and approval by the Director, Global Programs and the Grants and Contracts team
  • Develop and manage relationships with government, donors and other partners for business development purposes

• Program Related Leadership and Support: (30%)

  • Supply Chain:
    • Build and implement Cote d’Ivoire’s strategy and plan for expansion of activities into supply chain
    • Provide direct oversight for any supply chain related activities in the country once funding is secured.
  • Digital Solutions:
    • M-Vaccin program: Provide direct oversight for program manager; use data to assess and provide guidance on whether to continue with the solution or sunset; use data to provide suggestions on improvement
    • Health Center by Phone/VaccineCheck program: Pending funding, continue to pursue expansion opportunities for HCBP in Cote d’Ivoire, leveraging but improving the existing VaccineCheck solution
    • Provide oversight for other work in country as it arises
  • Other:
    • Vaccinodrome program: Oversee the country teams’ expansion of the hybrid fixed site/outreach model throughout Abidjan and oversee the integration of the model into existing government systems for routine immunizations
    • Provide oversight for other work in country as it arises

Competencies:

The following competencies reflect what is expected of all VillageReach employees; including examples of how one might demonstrate each of these competencies in one’s role.

• Personal Motivation and Drive: Is self-directed in one’s approach to work, but asks for help when needed; holds oneself accountable; undertakes self-development activities; seeks to build and master new skills; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities within the organization
• Collaboration & Effective Communication: Establishes and maintains effective relations with coworkers, partners & stakeholders and external parties; works collaboratively with others to accomplish organizational and team goals and objectives; works actively to resolve conflicts; expresses ideas and thoughts effectively; selects and uses appropriate communication methods and maintains meaningful communication with virtual coworkers and other parties to keep them informed
• Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: Takes personal responsibility for and supports others across the organization in creating and sustaining a diverse work environment where individuals are welcomed, valued, respected and supported; personally committed to attaining cultural competency including self-awareness of one’s own attitudes about culture and cross-cultural interactions; exhibits the willingness and ability to engage openly and respectfully around issues of race, colonialism, identity and culture; upholds equity in access to sharing of information, ideas, and opportunities throughout VillageReach
• Commitment to Excellence: Produces a high output of work, both in terms of quality and quantity; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; monitors work to ensure quality; has a personal commitment to the mission of VillageReach
• Solution Orientation & Innovation: Focuses on results and desired outcomes and how to best achieve them; gets the job done; sees opportunities for creative problem-solving while staying within the parameters of good practice; sees old problems in new ways and has novel approaches to solving those problems; contributes original and/or resourceful ideas to their area of responsibility; is able to consider and articulate risks and consequences of proposed innovations and factor these into decision-making

REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position currently directly supervises 2 employees and more employees and contractors indirectly but may end up directly supervising up to 5 employees directly. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization’s policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; monitoring performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; and addressing complaints and resolving problems.]

Education & Experience:

• An MBA, MPH, MPA, MA in project management, information systems, public policy, development studies resource management, public administration, public health, pharmaceuticals, supply chain, or equivalent degree preferred and at least ten (10) years of direct program experience in the NGO sector or an equivalent combination of education and work experience is required.
• At least 5+ years working with government, donors, and partners overseeing working in Cote d’Ivoire
• At least 7+ years of experience in supply chain solutions deployment, implementation, monitoring and evaluation in the context of public health or a combination of supply chain and digital health programs
• 7+ years of experience working in public sector development, with familiarity of donor reporting mechanisms (Gavi, USAID, Gates Foundation, Global Fund) and with a focus on health systems strengthening programs
• Experience in Health System Strengthening Initiatives: Experience working with Côte d’Ivoire’s health system and working with a variety of stakeholders, including ministries of health and health facility staff, in the areas of program design, implementation or management. Must have strong understanding of the service delivery level and working in rural environments.
• Experience in Project/Program management: Familiar with program and project management principles and strategies. A project management certificate would be a plus
• Capacity-Building: Familiar with capacity building, trainings techniques
• Coalition-Building. Experience in working with government, donors, NGO and development agency in Africa to influence change. Ideally, the candidate will be familiar with competency transfer strategies to government
• Resource management: The candidate will assist the program lead to ensure appropriate resources (human, finance, material) are allocated for project execution. They will report on any constraint and risk associated and will propose remedies.
• Communication and interpersonal skills. Strong communication and cross-cultural management. Persuasive written and verbal communication. Open mindedness to accommodate the non-traditional mix of disciplines within the team and interpersonal skills to work effectively in partnership with both the private and public sectors and academics on the project and externally.
• Writing and analytical skills. Superb writing skills and the ability to assemble, distill and analyze all necessary information for decision-making, presentations and reports. Will contribute to the development of project deliverables and documentation, including the solution toolkit, competency transfer plan, deployment tools, reports and others.
• Problem solving, creative thinking, and analytical skills. Ability to anticipate and make smart and consensual decisions under pressure. Ability and confidence to identify and recommend creative solutions to a diverse group of stakeholders. Identifies both opportunities and needs for change. Ability to identify issues or problems and provide a respective solution that is feasible and acceptable to the local context. Explores and shares innovative best practices with others.
• Commitment to the mission. Passion for the mission, including strong commitment to global health, and a belief in the role of private sector solutions to public health systems.
• Personal qualities. Energy, intelligence, diplomacy, proactivity, sound practical judgment and the ability to work independently without supervision.

Other Qualifications:

• Comply with VillageReach’s COVID-19 vaccination policy.
• Established cultural competency in partnering with racial, cultural and linguistically diverse groups.
• Demonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, underserved and low-income context; experience living in and/or working in a low-income country a plus.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel) and comfortable in a fast-paced technical environment.
• Written and verbal fluency in French and English required.
• Ability to prioritize and perform multiple tasks, problem-solve, and work under pressure
• Demonstrated understanding of challenges with working in rural, underserved and low-income context; experience living in and/or working in a low-income country a plus
• Ivorian national, lawful resident or possessing a legal work permit
• Excellent written and verbal communication in French and English
• Solid programmatic, financial, and organizational planning skill is highly desirable.
• Ability to work collaboratively and collegially in an inter-agency and geographically dispersed team
• Ability to be self-directed, prioritize and perform multiple tasks, problem-solve, and work under pressure;
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally (including to the United States)

Environment and Physical Demands:

This is a remote position. Candidate will be expected to set up a home office. Due to the time zone differences between our USA office and our Country Offices and location of other global staff, US based staff are expected to be available for early morning meetings starting at 6am. In addition, our Regional Africa based staff and Country office staff are expected to be available for late afternoon/evening meetings up to 6pm. Over 50% of the work is spent sitting, versus standing and what physical demands will be asked of person.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY & INCLUSION:

VillageReach is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer committed to workforce diversity. We believe that diverse, equitably weighted perspectives foster an organizational capacity to create novel solutions that improve health in the most underserved and hard-to-reach areas. To align our values, innovations and impact, VillageReach is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse global workforce.

Safeguarding:

VillageReach is committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults, and beneficiaries with whom it engages. We expect everyone working with us to share this commitment through our code of conduct.All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which may include criminal records. VillageReach participates in the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and, in line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By applying, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

Compensation:

VillageReach has an established compensation structure that is based on the relevant market and internally transparent. The range for this position is $85,000 USD to $90,000 USD. We hire people into the established range based on one’s experience and education and considering internal equity. We do not inquire about salary history.